Galveston to Bring in Fall Season with Outdoor Festivals, Historic Ghost Tours this October

GALVESTON, Texas (September 16, 2014) – October brings what many consider to be the best weather of the year on Galveston Island, and with great weather comes outdoor events and festivals! Next month’s calendar is filled with activities to entertain and spook – from the annual Island Oktoberfest to Galveston’ many historic ghost tours.

Island OktoberfestIsland Oktoberfest will “oompah” back to Galveston for its 33rd year, celebrating German heritage with a full weekend of food, drinks, live performances, games and special activities. The festival will take place Oct. 24-25 at First Evangelical Lutheran Church in Galveston and will feature an expanded entertainment lineup. Admission to Oktoberfest is free and attendees are encouraged to dress in traditional German costumes. For details, visit www.galvestonoktoberfest.com.

ARToberFESTLocal, regional and national artists will showcase their amazing ceramics, jewelry, photography, textiles, metal works, paintings and more at Galveston’s acclaimed ARToberFEST Oct 18-19 in the downtown historic district. Presented by The Grand 1894 Opera House, admission to the 17th annual juried art show is $5 for adults and free to children under age 12. A portion of admissions will benefit The Grand’s education programs. For details, visit www.artoberfest.com.

Performances at The GrandFor laughs, Broadway and musical fun this October, The Grand 1894 Opera House is your one-stop entertainment showplace. The outrageously funny comedian Steve Solomon returns with his new comedy hit, Cannoli, Latkes & Guilt! The Therapy Continues on Oct. 11. Then The Coasters will star in the swinging musical Smokey Joe’s Café Oct. 18-19. You won't want to miss the heavenly Broadway musical Sister Act Oct. 25 and an intergalactic night of beat-box vocals, movement and imagination performed by Voca People Oct. 26. For a frightfully good time, make Halloween weekend reservations for The Phantom of The Opera – the 1925 silent film accompanied by Rob Landes on an Allen Organ, Nov. 1. For details, visit www.thegrand.com.

Haunted History! Galveston Ghost ToursThe place of the deadliest storm in U.S. history, Galveston is filled with opportunities to be spooked! New this year, the Galveston Historical Foundation will offer haunted tours onboard the 1877 Tall Ship ELISSA Oct. 31 and a murder mystery dinner theater event “You’re History!” at the 1859 Ashton Villa on Halloween. For details on all of the historical foundation’s tours, click here. In addition, the 103-year-old Hotel Galvez will offer a ghost tour dinner on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Sundays in October with an overnight package. For details on Hotel Galvez tours, click here. Paranormal expert Dash Beardsley will offer a variety of chilling haunted tours around the island this October. For a full list, visit www.ghosttoursofgalvestonisland.com.

Haunted HappeningsHave a ghostly good time in Galveston this October with a variety of haunted happenings for kids. Downtown Galveston will host its Mini Monster Bash from 1-4 p.m. Oct. 25 and Moody Gardens will join the fun with its annual Ghostly Gardens event from 2-4 p.m. Oct. 26. Both events will include free trick-or-treating, creepy crafts, a costume contest and games. Also on Oct 25, Haunted Mayfield Manor will host a Zombie Crawl from 5-10 p.m. in downtown Galveston. Makeup artists will be onsite to “zombify” participants in the crawl event. On Oct.31, the Pleasure Pier will host a Halloween party and offer unlimited ride access for $15.99 plus free trick-or-treating and live music. For details, visit www.pleasurepier.com.

Zombie Navy Aboard the USS Cavalla SubmarineWant to tour a haunted submarine? Head to Seawolf Park this month for Zombie Navy Aboard the USS Cavalla submarine, a new Halloween event sponsored by the Cavalla Historical Foundation and Haunted Mayfield Manor. Zombies will roam the ship at this new event offered from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Oct. 24- 25, 31 and Oct. 31-Nov. 1 at Seawolf Park. Participants will also have the opportunity to be “zombified” by makeup artist at the event. On the scheduled dates of the event, tickets will be available onsite at Haunted Mayfield Manor and Seawolf Park and shuttle service will be provided from Saengerfest Park to Seawolf park. For details, visit www.hauntedmayfieldmanor.com.

Harvest Moon RegattaGalveston’s waters will be decorated with beautiful sail boats Oct. 9 as the Harvest Moon Regatta makes its way from the island to Port Aransas, Texas. The boats will set sail at 2:00 p.m. from the Galveston Island Historic Pleasure Pier located at 25th Street and Seawall Boulevard. The Harvest Moon Regatta is sponsored by the Lakewood Yacht Club of Seabrook, Texas. For more information, visit www.harvestmoonregatta.com.

Bike around the BayFor those looking for a rider’s getaway, you don’t want to miss this year’s Bike Around the Bay taking place Oct. 18-19. This two-day event includes a 180-mile bicycle ride around Galveston Bay, showcasing the natural beauty and scenic routes of the Galveston Bay Area. Riders will begin at Royal Purple Raceway in Baytown, Texas before spending the night in Galveston. For details, visit www.bikearoundthebay.org.

Gritty Goddess Fest Women’s 5K RunOn Oct. 11, Galveston is ready to get pretty gritty as it hosts tough women from across the state for the Gritty Goddess Fest Women’s 5K Run. This obstacle course will require participants to run, crawl, climb, slide, balance, hoist, swing and stretch through a variety of muddy, sandy, and splashy obstacles. The race will take place at Moody Gardens and benefits several charities, including Girls on the Run and The Rainbow Connection. For details, visit www.grittygoddess.com.

D’Feet Breast Cancer “Celebration of Life” Walk/RunMove your feet for a cause Oct. 18 at the "Celebration of Life" race sponsored by the non-profit D'Feet Breast Cancer, which includes certified adult 5K and 10K runs, an adult 5K walk and a kid’s 1K run/walk through Moody Gardens. All registered participants receive discounted admission to Moody Gardens and other surrounding attractions. All proceeds will benefit the D’Feet Breast Cancer organization to provide residents of Galveston County with free breast cancer screening, mammogram programs and follow up care. For details, visit www.dfeetbreastcancer.com.

Movie and Music Nights on the Strand Grab your chairs, blankets and pillows and head to downtown Galveston for a free, family-friendly movie or concert this October. Movie Nite on the Strand will take place at dusk Oct. 4 with a showing of the film Dracula at Saengerfest Park. On the 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month, visitors can catch free, live concerts from 6-9 p.m. in Saengerfest Park at Music Night on the Strand. On Oct. 11 the park will feature the band Blaggards. On Oct. 18, it will feature the band The Fab 5 and on Oct. 25 Saengerfest Park will close the season with a performance by gypsy-rock band CSMDP.

For a full list of events happening in Galveston this October, visit www.galveston.com.

About Galveston IslandGalveston Island is a historic beach town located on the Gulf of Mexico just 50 miles from Houston. The island is best known as a vacation destination, offering 32 miles of beaches, a variety of family attractions, Texas’ premier cruise port and one of the largest and well-preserved concentrations of Victorian architecture in the country. For more information on Galveston Island visit www.galveston.com or call 1-888-GAL-ISLE.